At a glance
- Cost
- Free; no meters
- Hours
- Open 24 hours a day
- Time limit
- Some bays: maximum 3 hours between 7am and 5pm, Monday to Sunday
- Spaces
- 150 to 199, with accessible spaces
- Location
- Tallebudgera Creek Park, Gold Coast Highway, Palm Beach
- Busy times
- Fills quickly on weekends and public holidays
The City of Gold Coast’s Tallebudgera Creek car park in Palm Beach is free. It has no meters, and it is open 24 hours, but some bays have a maximum stay of 3 hours between 7am and 5pm, Monday to Sunday. The City says spaces fill quickly on weekends and public holidays, so it recommends arriving early. Details on this page are as of October 2026, taken from the City’s car park and park pages.
The car park is a large outdoor car park with 150 to 199 spaces, off the Gold Coast Highway beside Tallebudgera Creek. It has accessible parking spaces. The City’s listed location is Tallebudgera Creek Park, Gold Coast Highway, on the south-eastern side of the bridge over Tallebudgera Creek, Palm Beach 4221.
Do I have to pay to park at Tallebudgera Creek?
No. The City’s Tallebudgera Creek Carpark page says there is no charge to park, and describes the car park as unmetered. Its Tallebudgera Creek Park page adds that there are plenty of non-metered parking bays beside the park.
What are the time limits?
| Question | City of Gold Coast says |
|---|---|
| Cost | No charge |
| Open | 24 hours a day, 7 days a week |
| Time limit | Some bays: maximum 3 hours between 7am and 5pm, Monday to Sunday |
| Outside those times | Unrestricted |
| Capacity | 150 to 199 spaces |
| Accessible spaces | Yes |
The City asks you to pay attention to the parking signs in the car park. Only some bays carry the 3-hour limit, and the pages do not say which ones, so read the sign at the bay before you leave the car. The City’s beach page also tells visitors to take note of parking signs and line markings before heading to the beach.
Who else uses this car park?
The City says the car park is shared with the Gold Coast Recreation Precinct and Custard Café. The City’s beach page also lists a car park at the Tallebudgera Surf Club.
What is there to do next to the car park?
Tallebudgera Creek Park is a foreshore park. According to the City, it has a small kids’ playground, a picnic shelter, barbecue and tables, plus a Changing Places facility, toilets, a drinking fountain and outdoor beach showers. You can picnic on the grassed area, swim, kayak or paddle in the creek, or walk along the footpath and boardwalk towards the Seawall and Tallebudgera Beach.
The park has an accessible toilet designed to meet the Disability Discrimination Act, and the park’s facilities are reached by connecting pathways through the parklands.
Where can I swim?
The City’s Tallebudgera Creek beach page says to swim only in the patrolled area between the red and yellow flags. Neptune Royal Lifesaving Club patrols the beach at Tallebudgera Creek, with its primary area of responsibility between the Gold Coast Highway bridge and the mouth of the creek. Patrols run between 8am and 5pm on weekends and public holidays, from the September school holidays through to the first weekend of May. A patrol may be closed at times because of dangerous swimming conditions, unsafe beach conditions or beach maintenance works.
Can I bring my dog?
Dogs must be on a leash at the park, and are prohibited on the foreshore area and the playground. There is a dog off-leash area close by, at the northern end of Tallebudgera Beach. The City also says dogs are prohibited within 200 metres of flagged swimming areas.
Can I get there without a car?
The City says you can walk, run or bike ride to the beach and points to its walking and cycling maps, and that there is no bike parking at Tallebudgera Creek. For buses, the page points you to Translink’s journey planner.
Other free car parks nearby
Palm Beach has two smaller free council car parks, both with weekday time limits. See our guide to Palm Beach free parking. For a paid car park in neighbouring Burleigh Heads, see Alex Black car park.
More guides: Gold Coast parking guide
Sources
- City of Gold Coast — Tallebudgera Creek Carpark (checked 16 October 2026)
- City of Gold Coast — Tallebudgera Creek Park (checked 16 October 2026)
- City of Gold Coast — Tallebudgera Creek beach (checked 16 October 2026)
Featured image: Foreshore along Tallebudgera Creek, seen from the Gold Coast Highway (photo: orderinchaos / CC BY-SA 3.0) (text added)
OZ Local Updates is an independent local guide and is not affiliated with the City of Gold Coast. Parking rules can change; check the City’s car park page and the signs at the car park before you park.